Tag Archives: Food

Recipes: Chana Dal Sundal

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During the festival of Navaratri, I usually make something as an offering or prasadam to the goddess every day. In previous years, I have also made a sweet to go along with the sundal, but this year, because I have to go to work in the morning, I have been making only sundals as an offering.

Chana Dal Sundal is made from split chickpeas or chana dal which is healthy and protein-rich. And the best part about sundals is that you can make it in under 10 minutes, which is such a time saver when you are rushing in the morning!

Chana Dal Sundal

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup chana dal or split chickpeas
  • 2 tbsp oil or ghee
  • ½ tsp mustard seeds
  • ½ tsp split urad dal
  • ¼ tsp asafoetida
  • 2-3 dried red chillies, broken into pieces
  • 10-12 curry leaves, torn
  • 2 tbsp grated coconut, fresh or desiccated
  • Lemon juice to taste
  • Salt to taste
  • Coriander leaves to garnish

Method:

  • Wash the chana dal thoroughly under running water, and then soak it in 2 cups of water for 2-3 hours. After soaking, drain the water and set the chana dal aside.
  • Cook the chana dal with fresh water and a pinch of salt until it is just cooked. We don’t want it cooked like a dal, just until a piece can get crushed between your thumb and index finger.
  • Heat oil in a pan or kadai over medium heat.
  • Add mustard seeds and let them splutter. Then add urad dal, asafoetida, dried red chillies, and curry leaves. Sauté for a minute until the spices release their aroma.
  • Add the cooked chana dal and salt to the pan. Stir well to coat the dal with the tempered spices.
  • Reduce the heat to low and cook the chana dal, stirring frequently, for about 5 minutes.
  • Add the grated coconut and stir well.
  • Turn off the heat, drizzle with lemon juice and stir well.
  • Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot or cold.

Other Navaratri Sundal recipes: Green Moong Sundal, Green Peas Sundal, Peanut Sundal, Sweet Corn Sundal, Chickpea Sundal

In My Hands Today…

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Stalin’s Wine Cellar – John Baker and Nick Place

In the late 1990s, John Baker was known as a purveyor of quality rare and old wines. Always entrepreneurial and up for adventure, he was the perfect person for an occasional business partner to approach with a mysterious wine list that was foreign to anything John, or his second-in-command, Kevin Hopko, had ever come across.

The list was discovered to be a comprehensive catalogue of the wine collection of Nicholas II, the last Tsar of Russia. The wine had become the property of the state after the Russian Revolution of 1918, during which Nicholas and his entire family were executed. Now owned by Stalin, the wine was discreetly removed to a remote Georgian winery when Stalin was concerned the advancing Nazi army might overrun Russia, and inevitably loot artefacts and treasures. Half a century later, the wine was rumoured to be hidden underground and off any known map.

John and Kevin embarked on an audacious, colourful and potentially dangerous journey to Georgia to discover if the wines actually existed; if the bottles were authentic and whether the entire collection could be bought and transported to a major London auction house for sale.

Stalin’s Wine Cellar is a wild, sometimes rough ride in the glamorous world of high-end wine. From Double Bay Sydney to Tbilisi Georgia, via the streets of Paris, the vineyards of Bordeaux and iconic Château d’Yquem. A multimillion dollar cellar and a breathtaking collection of wine (and one very expensive broken bottle) is the elusive treasure. The cast of characters include Stalin, Hitler, Tsar Nicholas II and a motley bunch of Georgian businessmen/cowboys toting handguns, in the early days of Russian business development that led to the world of Putin and oligarchs.

Recipes: Sev Tamatar ki Sabzi or Sev Tameta nu Shaak

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For viewers of Tarak Mehta ka Ulta Chashmah, this recipe will be a familiar one. I ate this a long time ago when I was in school and then used to hear about it in shows and online. I was chatting with a friend the other day and she mentioned she had recently made the dish and I had cravings to make it. This is a fairly easy dish to make and from start to end, will not take more than 20-30 minutes, depending on the quantity you are making.

From the heartlands of Gujarat, this sabzi blends the sweetness and tartness of tomatoes with the crunch of savoury sev. Legend has it that the recipe originated in the kitchen of a Gujarati household, where the homemaker sought to create a delightful dish using the bounty of tomatoes from her garden. Faced with an abundant harvest, she combined tomatoes, spices, and a handful of sev to fashion a dish that was an instant hit with her family and the recipe soon spread like wildfire across the state. Today, this dish is a staple in Gujarati households, for its taste and ease of making from ingredients commonly found in an Indian kitchen. And because this does not use onions or garlic, this can be made even on festive days when you won’t use these ingredients. So let’s start making this yummy dish.

Sev Tameta nu Shaak or Sev Tamatar ki Sabzi

Ingredients:

  • 3 large ripe tomatoes, finely chopped
  • 1 cup sev or fried gram flour vermicelli
  • 2 tbsp oil
  • 1 tsp mustard seeds
  • 1 tsp cumin seeds
  • ¼ tsp asafoetida
  • 1 tbsp ginger and green chilli paste
  • ½ tsp turmeric powder
  • 1 tsp red chilli powder (adjust to taste)
  • 1 tsp coriander powder
  • 1 tsp cumin powder
  • Salt to taste
  • 2 tbsp jaggery or sugar
  • 1 cup water
  • Fresh coriander leaves to garnish

Method:

  • Heat oil in a pan over medium heat. Add mustard seeds, cumin seeds and asafoetida, letting them sizzle for a few seconds.
  • Then add the ginger and chilli paste and let it cook for a few seconds.
  • Add the finely chopped tomatoes to the pan and cook until they turn soft and mushy, stirring occasionally.
  • Reduce the heat to low and add turmeric powder, red chilli powder, coriander powder, cumin powder, and salt. Mix well and cook for 2-3 minutes.
  • Pour in the water and add jaggery or sugar. Stir until the jaggery dissolves completely.
  • Allow the curry to simmer on low heat for 5-7 minutes, allowing the flavours to meld together.
  • Add half the sev to the tomatoes and gently mix to coat the sev with the sauce.
  • Turn off the heat and garnish with fresh coriander leaves.
  • Just before serving, add the balance sev, so that there is still a crunch to the dish and serve hot with roti.

Notes: Don’t use the nylon sev used for bhelpuri and other chaat, instead use the thicker ones. This will mean that the sev does not dissolve in the sabzi and there is a bite. I also like to keep some sev separate so that as you dish it up, you add it as a garnish.

Recipes: Kada Prasad

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Today’s recipe brings back lots of memories from my childhood. The aunty opposite my house used to make this as a prasad or offering every full moon day. Aunty would share some with us and I would eat the lion’s share. The last few days, I suddenly started craving this sweet. So I made some and thought I would share it with everyone since it was so yummy.

Kada Prasad is the offering served in the Sikh temple or Gurudwara. Seva, or service, lies at the heart of Sikhism. It is no surprise then that the act of serving kada prasad in gurudwaras also takes from this belief. Gurudwara translates to “the door to the guru”, and it is believed that a guru never sends back a devotee empty-handed or hungry. So, a sweet and divine blessing is offered in the form of kada prasad, which you accept by cupping your hands. Since the prasad is considered a sacred sweetmeat, it is rude to turn it down. Both the offering and receiving of this sweet signifies community service and hospitality—two virtues that are very close to the heart of Sikhs. The ones performing seva by serving food usually dole out equal quantities from a large bowl.

It’s a very simple recipe with ghee, wheat flour and sugar used in equal proportions and water double the amount of ghee, wheat flour or sugar. The resulting halwa becomes kada prasad after it is offered to the Lord, otherwise, it is plain wheat halwa. On to the recipe.

Kada Prasad or Atte ka Hakwa or Wheat Flour Halwa

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup wheat flour
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 cup ghee
  • 2 cups water

Method:

  • Heat the ghee in a pan and let the ghee melt.
  • Once the ghee has melted and is hot, add the wheat flour and stir constantly, making sure there are no lumps.
  • Cook until the wheat flour is golden and aromatic.
  • Now add in the sugar and mix well. Once the sugar has melted and the paste becomes slightly running, you can start adding the water.
  • Add water bit by bit and mix well.
  • Continue cooking, stirring constantly until everything comes together and the halwa starts to ooze the ghee.
  • Switch off the flame and let it cool a bit before serving warm.

Notes: After making it, here are my thoughts. The amount of sugar was just enough for us who prefer sweets to be less sweet than usual. But if you are someone who likes things to be sweeter, then you can increase the amount of sweet to probably 1.25 cups. When frying the wheat flour with the ghee, do not worry if you do not get the dark brown colour of the halwa. It was the same for me too, only after I added the water, did the sugar and atta caramelise and become darker. Also when adding water, add hot water and add one cup at a time. Let the first cup of water get absorbed into the flour and then add the second cup. I also found the amount of ghee to be slightly too much, so the next time I would make it, I would reduce it to about 0.75 cup.

Recipes: Bhindi Do Pyaza/Bhindi Masala

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I have been sitting on this recipe since December of last year for no reason. GG, BB and I made this recipe for S’ birthday last year.

Bhindi, Ladies’ Finger or Okra, is a tricky vegetable to make and like. Most people don’t like it because of the sliminess of its seeds that ooze out while cooking. Also known as ladies finger in some countries (including India), Okra is a flowering plant in the mallow family with edible green seed pods. The geographical origin of okra is disputed, with theories of its origin spread across West Africa, South and Southeast Asia. It is cultivated in tropical, subtropical, and warm temperate regions around the world and is used in many cuisines.

This recipe is a blend of Bhindi Masala, and Bhindi Do Pyaza. The recipe is richer than the usual recipes I cook and takes longer to make. But it is super delicious and will be a hit at any gathering if you are making it for family and friends. So on to the recipe…

Bhindi Masala/Bhindi Do Pyaza

Ingredients:

  • 500 gms bhindi or okra, washed and dried
  • 2 medium-sized onions, thinly sliced
  • 2 medium-sized onions, roughly chopped
  • 2 tomatoes, chopped
  • 7-8 garlic cloves, peeled
  • inch piece of ginger, peeled
  • 1 tsp cumin seeds
  • ¼ tsp turmeric powder
  • 1-2 tsp red chilli powder
  • 1 tsp coriander powder
  • 1 tsp cumin powder
  • ½ tsp garam masala
  • ½ tsp dry mango powder or amchur powder
  • 1 tbsp kasuri methi or dried fenugreek leaves
  • Salt to taste
  • ½ cup beaten yoghurt
  • 3 tbsp oil + oil to fry the okra
  • Finely chopped coriander leaves to garnish

Method:

  • Trim the ends of the okra and cut them into 2-inch pieces. Keep aside.
  • In a pan or kadhai, heat 2 tbsp oil and let the oil warm up.
  • Add the cumin seeds and let them splutter.
  • Add the ginger and garlic and saute for a few seconds. Then add the chopped onions and let the onions become translucent and a nice golden brown.
  • Now add the chopped tomatoes and a pinch of salt and let the tomatoes cook well and become mushy.
  • Remove from the pan and let it cool. Once cool, blend it to a smooth paste.
  • While waiting for the onion-tomato mixture to cool down, heat oil in another pan or kadai over medium heat. Add in the cut okra and deep or shallow fry until the okra is cooked and crisp. Keep aside.
  • Heat the balance of 1 tbsp oil, and when it warms up, add in the sliced onions and sauté until they turn golden brown and caramelised.
  • Now add in the blended paste and cook. Add in the dry spices at this point, adding in the turmeric powder, red chilli powder, coriander powder and cumin powder, plus some salt. Mix well and cook for a couple of minutes until the spices are well combined.
  • Add the fried bhindi and mix gently, ensuring that the spices coat the okra evenly. Cook uncovered for 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  • Reduce the heat to low, add some water to bring it to the consistency you want, cover the pan, and simmer for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  • Add in the beaten yoghurt and stir continuously so the yoghurt does not separate.
  • Sprinkle garam masala and dry mango powder and crush the kasuri methi in the palms of your hands and sprinkle in the gravy. Mix well to combine all the flavours.
  • Garnish with freshly chopped coriander leaves and serve hot with roti, naan or rice. I served this with jeera rice.

You could also add cooking cream instead of beaten yoghurt to make the dish even richer and add more flavour to it.